Stephen Curry Goes Off, Lakers Guards Make History

The 2014-15 NBA regular season continued with a bang on Tuesday, March 24. There was a buzzer-beating game-winner, multiple MVP-caliber performances and a number of games in which the rising stars were at their best.

This is how it all transpired.

1. Stephen Curry went off for 33 points, 10 assists and five 3-point field goals made as the Golden State Warriors pulled away from the Portland Trail Blazers for a 122-108 victory. Damian Lillard had 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists, one block and a steal for Portland, while the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut tallied 10 points, 16 rebounds, six assists and a steal in 24 minutes, and Draymond Green had 14 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists and three blocks.

With its win, Golden State secures its first division title since 1976. That was the longest active drought in the NBA.

2. Golden State improves to 13-1 when Curry scores at least 30 points and 24-4 when he puts up 25 or more.

3. C.J. McCollum scored a career-high 23 points for the Trail Blazers.

4. Russell Westbrook put up 27 points and 11 assists, and Enes Kanter took over with 25 points and 16 rebounds as the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 127-117. Dion Waiters scored 23 points and Steven Adams finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting to help OKC secure the victory.

At 41-28, the Thunder will finish the season at .500 or better for the sixth consecutive season—the franchise’s longest streak since the then Seattle SuperSonics did it in every season from 1987-88 to 2001-02.

5. Jordan Clarkson recorded a career-high 30 points, seven assists, four rebounds, three blocks and a steal on 12-of-19 shooting for the Lakers.

6. Monta Ellis erupted for 38 points and five assists as the Dallas Mavericks came up with a big 101-94 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Dirk Nowitzki added 15 points and 13 assists for the Mavericks, while Kawhi Leonard led the Spurs with 19 points, nine rebounds, three assists, four steals and a block.

In Dallas’ win, Nowitzki pulled down rebound No. 10,000. He’s the only player in NBA history with at least 25,000 points, 10,000 rebounds, 1,000 blocks and 1,000 3-point field goals made.

7. Khris Middleton was just 5-of-17 from the field, but he came up big when it counted with a game-winning buzzer-beater to give the Milwaukee Bucks a vital 89-88 win over the Miami Heat. Giannis Antetokounmpo, Ersan Ilyasova and Zaza Pachulia all pulled down double-digit rebounds for Milwaukee, while Dwyane Wade led Miami with 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting.

Middleton’s made two game-winning 3-point field goals at the buzzer in 2014-15. The last player to do that: Kobe Bryant in 2009-10.

8. DeMarcus Cousins took over with 33 points, 17 rebounds, 10 offensive boards, three assists, four blocks and four steals on 8-of-27 shooting as the Sacramento Kings escaped with a 107-106 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. Robert Covington countered with 21 points of his own, and Nerlens Noel tallied 14 points, 10 rebounds and six blocks for the Sixers.

Cousins has six games with at least 30 points and 15 rebounds in 2014-15. No other player has more than three.

9. Reggie Jackson put up 28 points and nine assists as the Detroit Pistons gained position in the postseason picture with a 108-104 victory over the Toronto Raptors. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scored 26 points and Andre Drummond provided a powerful 21 points, 18 rebounds, 10 offensive boards, three assists, two steals and a block for Detroit.

The Pistons have quietly won three in a row.

10. Andre Drummond has six games with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in 2014-15. That’s the most of any Pistons player since Grant Hill had six in 1996-97.

Bonus Facts

The Lakers may have lost, but Jordan Clarkson and Jeremy Lin became the first Asian-American starting backcourt in NBA history.
The Mavericks have won consecutive games over the Spurs. Ellis scored 38 points in both of them.